PROS
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> Easy to use
> 70+ elements that add interesting features to Elementor
> Unique features that even Elementor Pro doesn’t offer
> You can use Essential Addons instead of Elementor Pro
> Lifetime license is available
CONS
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> The distinction between pro and free elements could be made clearer
Essential Addons for Elementor adds tons of new features and elements to Elementor. The plugin promises to make it easy to create a good-looking website with cool features with elements such as info boxes, testimonial boxes, team members, accordions, and more. But how good is it really?
That’s what this review will cover. We’ll take a look at plugin’s features, pros and cons, and pricing and support options so you can decide if Essential Addons is the best plugin for you.
First, let’s take a look at the ease of use of the Essential Addons plugin by going through the installation process.
To install the Essential Addons plugin, you’ll need to purchase the plugin from their website and then download the zip file of the plugin files. Then, go to your WordPress dashboard and navigate to Plugins > Add new.
Click the Upload plugin button and locate the zip file you’ve downloaded. Drag it over to your dashboard and click the Install button. Once the plugin has been installed, click Activate to make the plugin active on your site.
Now that the plugin has been activated, let’s take a look at how easy it is to work with it. You’ll notice a new menu item in your sidebar, Essential Addons. Click it and the first tab will offer some general links like access to the documentation and getting support.
On the next tab, you can enable or disable the elements you want to use on your site. You can enable and disable them one by one or you can do it in bulk and save time. This is a great option if you want to try each and every element so you can get familiar with its features. You can always disable the elements you don’t plan on using later on.
There’s also a tab where you can enable and disable extensions that come with Essential Addons plugin and a tab where you can regenerate assets and configure how the individual elements are embedded.
Once you’ve configured the plugin and enabled all the elements you want to use, it’s time to use them with Elementor. You have two options: you can edit one of your existing posts or pages or you can create a fresh new page and start from scratch. If you’ve decided to create a new page, simply follow the usual process: go to Pages > Add new and then click Edit With Elementor.
Once the Elementor editor loads, you’ll be able to add elements offered by Essential Addons to your page.
To find them, you’ll need to scroll down in the Elementor panel as they are located at the very bottom. Expand the Essential Addons section by clicking on the downward caret and select the element you want to use. Then, simply drag it and drop it onto the page. You can then edit and customize the element the same way you’d customize built-in Elementor’s blocks.
You can change colors, tweak fonts, adjust spacing, and otherwise use the same styling features that you’re used to using with other Elementor blocks.
Each element can be duplicated and deleted and you can also save elements as global once you’ve configured them to your liking.
In other words, if you’re used to Elementor, you’ll have no problems using Essential Addons. The plugin integrates seamlessly into Elementor’s interface and all the elements feel like a native Elementor widget.
Now that we’ve covered the ease of use, let’s talk about the features that the Essential Addons has to offer.
As mentioned earlier, Essential Addons has free and premium elements that you can use to enhance your site. There are currently 39+ free elements which include:
• Info boxes
• Calls to action
• Buttons
• Team members
• Flip boxes
• Content tickers
• Countdowns
• Fancy text
• And more
When you’re looking at the elements in the plugin’s settings page, you’ll notice that each element has a helpful link directly to that element’s documentation page so you can easily learn more about how it works. You can also see a demo of the element to get an idea for how it looks.
The elements are nicely organized into various categories and you can easily see which elements are free and which are premium thanks to the little Pro label on each premium element.
When you upgrade to the premium version of Essential Addons, you’ll gain access to additional 29+ elements. These elements include:
• Testimonial slider
• Advanced Google Maps
• Instagram feed
• Interactive cards
• And more
Similarly to the free elements, the premium ones are nicely organized into categories and you can access their documentation as well as see the element in action when you click on the Demo link.
Aside from various elements, Essential Addons also comes with some nifty extensions for Elementor and your WordPress website. The extensions make it possible to add features such as estimated reading time, add table of contents to your posts and pages, add advanced tooltips to any widget, and more.
One interesting and time-saving extension is the Page/Post Duplicator. With this extension, you can easily duplicate any post or page on your site. This means that if you have a post or page layout you love, you can recreate it in a matter of minutes instead of building it from scratch. It also comes in handy if you’re creating a new page or post that has similar content to one of your existing pages or posts.
While Elementor does offer WooCommerce integration and its own set of WooCommerce blocks, Essential Addons takes it a step further. With Essential Addons, you can easily create a custom checkout page for your WooCommerce store.
Keep in mind that you’ll need to create a new checkout page and assign it as the new default checkout page in WooCommerce settings first.
Once you’ve done that, you can use Essential Addons to style your new checkout page. The element supports three different layouts: the default layout, multi-step layout, and split layout. You can also adjust various style settings such as fonts, colors, and more.
Pair that with other WooCommerce blocks offered by Elementor and you can truly customize your shop and create unique product and shop pages with a simple drag and drop interface.
Essential Addons can be downloaded for free from the official repository where it boasts a 5-star rating and more than 800,000 active installations. The plugin offers 39+ unique free elements that will enhance your page building experience with Elementor.
The premium version offers even more elements, bringing the total number to more than 80 different elements that you can add to any page or post built with Elementor.
Even though there is some overlap between the Pro version of Elementor and the elements found in Essential Addons, there are still some unique features that you can make use of with Essential Addons.
For example, Essential Addons includes elements for several popular WordPress contact form plugins and form services like Contact Form 7, Ninja Forms, and Typeform.
This means that you can use Essential Addons to style your contact forms and any other form on your WordPress website, even if the form plugin has limited customization options. In fact, with Essential Addons, you can style every aspect of your form, from the fonts and colors down to the placement of title, labels, and submit button.
Another example is the Content Protection feature offered by Essential Addons which puts a restriction on your content and protects your privacy.
The plugin itself is easy to use and there is no shortage of documentation and resources to help you understand what each element does.
When it comes to support, Essential Addons has several resources at your disposal. For starters, their website offers a live chat option that you can use for general enquiries and instant support.
You’ll also find an extensive documentation that covers every element and setting associated with using Essential Addons and Elementor.
In addition to that, you can submit a ticket 24/7 through their ticketing system as well as use the community forums to browse other people’s questions or ask your own and find a solution for any potential issue.
Essential Addons can be downloaded for free from the official repository. The free version is enough if you’re using the free version of Elementor and want to add extra features to your site at no extra cost.
But if you’re looking for more advanced features such as testimonial sliders, protected content, and more, upgrading to the premium version is recommended.
